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36 Hour Stopover in London

May 29, 2022 ·

London is one of those cities of which I never tire. Although I've been there numerous times (I used to go every year for work), every time I went back I would revisit my favorite streets, squares, and shops. During our whirlwind US/Europe trip in the fall of 2021, London was our stop-over city. We flew in and out of Heathrow, stopping through and saying hello to London TWICE while passing through on the way to cities in Europe, such as Brussels or Paris.

What does one do on a 36-hour stopover in London?

We stayed at the **St. Pancras Renaissance**, a lovely, lovely hotel (highly recommended!). It is located right at St. Pancras train station, so it's amazingly convenient if you are taking the Eurostar here (from, e.g., Brussels or Paris). The lobby incorporates parts of the beautiful train station exterior, and you can take an elevator directly into the train station without even stepping outside. I enjoyed a lovely brunch in this airy and spacious lobby. When I tried to come back in the evening to meet a colleague for drinks, they told me it was fully booked. I didn't even know you had to book this place. Mental note: make a reservation next time!

Covent Garden

During our first visit, we arrived in London in the morning and had a few hours to kill before our train to Brussels in the evening. We decided to walk around Covent Garden and perhaps find some lunch.

Din Tai Fung Covent Garden London

This is where we broke down and had our first Chinese restaurant meal in over 6 weeks (*at Din Tai Fung, no less*!). The decor was beautiful, and this DTF was a bit more upscale, offering cocktails and some dishes we hadn't seen on other menus. We stuck with the basics, ordering various types of dumplings. Though it hit the spot and was very enjoyable, the overall quality was supbar to the ones in Hong Kong (and it was more expensive!).

The River Cafe

We had one nice meal in London, an Italian outdoor dinner at The River Cafe. Situated right on the Thames River, this Italian restaurant from Ruth Rogers has been around for 35 years and is famous for training up several well-known British chefs, such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (River Cottage), April Bloomfield (Spotted Pig, Breslin Bar & Dining), Theo Randall and Jamie Oliver.

London’s the type of place where it’s easy to stop by for just a short amount of time. If you need to take the train somewhere, I highly recommend staying near St. Pancras station. It’s super convenient, and there’s a lot of fun stuff to do right around that area, such as jog along Regent Canal or shop/eat at Coal Drop Yard.

The next day we hopped onto the Eurostar and took the 2-hour journey to Brussels, our next stop. Good-by London, until we meet again!

A Day Trip to Antwerp, Belgium

May 28, 2022 ·

Antwerp sort of holds a unique place in my heart. I had never even heard of the city, but it welcomed me with open arms when Bryan and I got stuck in Belgium on 9/11 back in 2001. We were flying back to the US from our honeymoon in Italy on 9/11 when the US closed all airspace entering the country. Our plane, from now defunct Belgian carrier Sabena Airlines, turned around and landed in Brussels.

Despite the horrific circumstances, the airline was especially kind to the passengers. They took such good care of us, providing a shuttle bus and paying for our hotel stay in Antwerp, a city 45 minutes away from Brussels. My memory of Antwerp from that time is virtually non-existent (that whole experience was quite a stressful blur), yet I will never forget the kindness of the Belgians during this time of extreme anguish for the American people.

I haven't visited Antwerp since that time 20+ years ago. This time around, during a weekend when Bryan was away in Germany on a business trip, I decided to take a solo trip to revisit Antwerp, the second largest metropolitan region in Belgium, and the largest city-center in the country.

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Arbor Hong Kong

May 25, 2022 ·

How does one celebrate after an arduous three-week quarantine in a hotel?

Bryan and I flew back to Hong Kong after spending close to three months outside of Hong Kong. At that point, it had been 1.5 years since we had seen our families in the U.S. Bryan’s sister had pushed back her wedding (originally planned for 2020) back a whole year. We decided to fly to the US to attend the wedding, despite knowing we would need to quarantine upon returning to Hong Kong, who was (and is still!) pursuing a dynamic zero Covid policy.

Three weeks in a hotel room is tough, but we are thankful that we were able to quarantine together. After 3 weeks, it was so freeing to finally be able to walk around Hong Kong, and even venture out to eat at restaurants.

We were ”released” on the morning of December 23rd, just two days before Christmas. On Christmas day, we visited Arbor for the first time and enjoyed their special Christmas meal.

We absolutely loved our meal there. The food was elegant, exquisitely executed, and just very, very good in so many different ways. It’s hard to believe we waited this long to try it. Chef-owner Eric Räty, who hails from Finland, is expressing one of my favorite styles of cuisines: Japanese ingredients, French technique, and a Nordic focus on bringing out the flavors of natural ingredients.

Little did we know that Omicron was lurking around the corner, and in just a few weeks the open life of enjoying dinners at restaurants would stop completely for many, many months. We’re so thankful we had the opportunity to enjoy a few really nice dinners out in Hong Kong before the multi-month period of restrictions that followed.

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Mono Hong Kong

May 23, 2022 ·

Despite the fact that it’s still cumbersome to travel outside of Hong Kong (though at least now the quarantine period has been reduced to 7 days), we still are fortunate in Hong Kong to have the world travel to us, opening up restaurants that reflect cuisines from all over the map. Mono is a Latin American influenced restaurant from Chef Ricardo Chaneton. Chef Chaneton has worked with some of the finest chefs in the world, including Quique Dacosta (Spain), Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur (France), and Petrus in Hong Kong.

Mono is Chef Chaneton’s chance to express his South American roots (he’s from Venezuela) while using techniques he has learned from his rigorous French training. This past year Mono earned one Michelin star, and Chef Chaneton became the first Venezuelan chef ever to obtain that honor.

Below is a meal we enjoyed in 2021, right before Mono received the Michelin star. As you can see, Chef Chaneton clearly puts a lot of thought, heart, and soul into each dish.

Highly recommended!

Amuse Bouche

1st Course

Freshly Baked Bread and Amazing Olive Oil

Seafood + Meat

Sweets

What a unique journey to Latin America! Chef Chaneton’s is indeed breaking boundaries and introducing a whole new audience to the ingredients and flavors of South American, prepared in ways that are innovative, creative, and fun.

Mono Hong Kong
5/F 18 ON LAN STREET
Central, HONG KONG
https://www.mono.hk

Summer Palace Iconic Wine Lunch - Hong Kong

Apr 29, 2022 ·

More than 10 years ago I visited Summer Palace in Beijing. Once an imperial garden during the Qing Dynasty, the area is now a UNESCO heritage site.

"Summer Palace" here in Hong Kong is not a garden. Instead it is a high-end restaurant that still shares some of the former's imperial grandeur. This Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Shangri-La serves refined Cantonese fare, shares a Master Sommelier with Petrus (upstairs), and regularly holds unique and interesting wine lunches and dinners.

Our friends invited us to one such wine lunch at Summer Palace last year.

As we rode up the elevator at the Shangri-La to Summer Palace, we couldn't help but notice an awe-inspiring painting. This impressive wall mural, called The Great Motherland of China (大好河山), is the largest silk mural painting in the world. It is 16-stories high and it took 40 Chinese artists 6-months to complete it.

Summer Palace Wine Lunch

Summer Palace Hong Kong Iconic Wine Lunch — As we entered the room, we got a first look at the featured wines of the wine dinner. Wow.

Master Sommelier Yohann Jousselin oversees the wine platform for all Shangri-La restaurants in Southeast Asia, and spends over half his time in Hong Kong. The Shangri-La group of restaurants regularly holds wine lunches and dinners, both at Summer Palace and also at Petrus, upstairs.

They come at different price points, from more casual Wine Lunches at the Lobster Bar (HKD888 per person) to the flagship Iconic Wine Experiences that can cost up anywhere between HKD25,000 to HKD$58,000 per person (the latter including a super rare Petrus 1947).

The wine meals focus on different themes, and often provide opportunities to try older and rarer wines.

Iconic Lunch Series

This particular wine lunch focused on wine from 6 different regions in France, including a blind wine. It was part of the Iconic Lunch series, and costs HKD$3988 per person.

Here's a look at our meal!

We began with a special 2000 Dom Perignon P2 (short for "Plénitude 2"). This aged champagne is deep in color and complex in flavor. Even though you normally wouldn't decant a champagne, our sommelier recommended doing so for this wine.

A lovely way to start the meal.

Summer Palace is known for its refined Cantonese fare.

Blind Wine - 1960's

1970's Mouton Rothschild

We tried them side-by-side, a mystery "blind" wine from the 60's and the Mouton-Rothchild from 1970, paired with the claypot rice.

Dessert

The meal was lovely, but it was the unique wine pairings that really made this meal fun and special. Food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the overall lunch was relaxed and interesting.

I leave you with one more look at The Great Motherland of China (大好河山).

Caprice Hong Kong
Birthday at Roganic Hong Kong
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Lucciola - Italian food at The Hari Hotel in Wan Chai

Mar 22, 2022 ·

Lucciola is one of the two anchoring restaurants at the new swanky boutique Hari Hotel in Wan Chai, the other being Zoku. While Zoku is a hip, fusion Japanese spot with a Nobu-esque air, Lucciola is a more traditional Italian restaurant serving trusted Italian favorites such as vitello tonnato, salt-crusted fish, and rustic pasta dishes.

The chef is originally from the Piedmont region of Italy, though most of the menu focuses on classic dishes. Most of the pastas are made from dried pasta, though there are a few handmade pastas as well.

The ambiance is elegant and quiet, a good place to have a conversation.

The Food

The food is solid, with the "Il Vitello Tonnato" being my favorite dish of the night. In general, the menu is "safe", meaning the menu consists of crowd pleasers that most people would enjoy. It has a nice pasta/risotto selection that is larger than most (10 different kinds!), including vegetarian options and even one made with Impossible Meat.

The prices are on the higher end (not a surprise considering the luxury hotel in which it is housed). You can probably find similar quality food for less price (in a less fancy atmosphere) at other places in Hong Kong.

Still, it's a nice addition to Wan Chai, especially for pasta lovers who are tired of the same old pasta dishes and want to try one, two, or up to ten (!) new and different pasta dishes.

Lucciola
Hari Hotel 1/F
330 Lockhart Rd
Wan Chai

Studio City by Cali-Mex Causeway Bay Hong Kong

Mar 17, 2022 ·

Bryan grew up in Southern California, only a couple hours away from Mexico. It's one of his favorite cuisines, and (sadly), there's not that much of it in Hong Kong. Sure, we love the delicious (but pricey) tacos at 11 Westside and the Japanese-Mexican fare at Chino. However, both of those places have historically been difficult to book, and Kennedy Town is still a bit far from us.

Lately, we've found a new favorite that's much, much closer, cheaper, and still delicious. Introducing Studio City by Cali-Mex, a new higher-end Mexican concept by the same folks who brought us Cali-Mex, the fast-casual burrito spot with locations around the city.

To be perfectly honest, Cali-Mex is only OK. For Bryan, it satisfies his cravings from Mexican food and he still gets in on occasion, but he doesn't love their burritos. As such, we weren't sure what we would think of Studio City by Cali-Mex.

We were pleasantly surprised! We visited their Causeway Bay location (right in Fashion Walk area) and met up with a friend for dinner and drinks.

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Petrus Hong Kong

Mar 8, 2022 ·

Before this current pandemic, Hong Kong was really a special place for those who like to travel. Locals could whisk off to Japan, Mainland China, or Southeast Asia for a quick weekend trip. Travelers could just as easily fly in, do a business meeting, enjoy a nice meal, and then jet right back out. Bryan used to visit Victoria Peak just to see the view and enjoy a meal during some of his longer stopovers in Hong Kong. That seems like such another world now.

We had friends who used to live between Hong Kong and the US. They regularly flew back and forth every few months, enjoying the best of both worlds: the wide open spaces of the countryside in the U.S., and the vibrant, "sensory overload", excitement of Hong Kong. It was a great way to stay connected to family, friends, and business partners on both sides of the globe.

With Covid, it became difficult for them to go back and forth like they used to. However, they did manage to come back to Hong Kong TWICE during the pandemic, enduring multi-week quarantines each time. We were so fortunately to be able to see them in the spring of 2021, just as Hong Kong was reawakening back to life after a grueling 6-month long "4th wave" lockdown.

We decided to visit Petrus together with them to celebrate a birthday as well catch up after such a long time!

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Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen Hong Kong

Mar 6, 2022 ·

I am really, really behind when it comes to famous tonkotsu ramen places. Can you believe it wasn't until the end of 2021 that I tried my first bowl of Ichiran Tonkotsu ramen?

Ichiran has been around since 1960, perfecting their tonkotsu milky pork bone broth as the perfect base for their ramen.

Their restaurants are known for being "private", meaning each diner (even within couples and families) dines separately in a cubby. The idea is that eating ramen is a serious affair, and you shouldn't be talking. You should concentrate on enjoying your ramen. Slurping is absolutely permitted, and, in fact, encouraged.

And slurp you should. It'll help you fully enjoy the flavors of that rich, savory, and delicious broth. The noodles have great texture, and all the parts come together into a really satisfying meal.

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James Suckling Wine Central - Hong Kong

Mar 2, 2022 ·

James Suckling Wine Central is a wine bar (first and foremost) but also a Korean-esque fusion restaurant (James' wife is Korean). The restaurant is a labor of love, a dream that James and his wife Marie have had for a long time. Going there sort of feels like you are visiting your wine-loving friends who are sharing with you their favorite wines together with their favorite foods.

The wine list is massive, consisting purely of 90+ scoring wines (by James Suckling, of course), whose scores are conveniently displayed on the menu. There are special sections such as "James’ Cellar Selection” and “Wines of My Career (100-point wines)” that reflect James Suckling's own personal favorites, wine that he says " I revere and love to drink." He self admits that there's a "heavy emphasis on Italy, Bordeaux and Port."

The best part about coming to James Suckling Wine Central is the HUGE selection of by-the-glass offerings (over 500 bottles!). They use the Covarin system to preserve their wines, so they are much more willing to let guests sample nicer bottles by the glass.

We had tons of fun, both ordering different wines (so that we could try each others' glasses), thus sampling even more kinds!

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Birthday at Roganic Hong Kong

Feb 23, 2022 ·

I've waxed poetic about my love for Roganic numerous times on this blog already. There's something about Simon Rogan's ethos regarding vegetables that draws me back to the restaurant over and over. We have eaten at the restaurant during the "good, open times" in Hong Kong, and have ordered delivery from his Simon Rogan AtHome collection during restrictive "lockdown" waves of the pandemic.

The photos in this post highlight yet another exquisite meal we had. This was to celebrate the birthday of another dear friend. We feel so blessed to know these friends because, truth be told, we wouldn't have become such good friends had it not been for the pandemic.

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Caprice Hong Kong - Four Seasons

Feb 19, 2022 ·

There is a season for everything. Right now in Hong Kong, we are in a season of change. Much has happened in the past three years, and thing continue to change, a lot of which is outside our control.

As part of these changes, we have had to say good-by to friends that we've gotten to know in our time in Hong Kong. Some friends are moving back home to their native lands, others are moving away from Hong Kong to settle into a new land. Whatever the case may be, our circle of friends in Hong Kong has shifted over time.

This past year, during "pandemic-friendly" periods, saying good-by has meant meeting up over a special meal. For one of our close friends, Bryan told their foodie daughter that she could pick any restaurant in Hong Kong in which to have our good-by meal. This "tween" actually spent serious time conducting online research and considering this difficult question before finally replying a few days later.

That's right, she chose Caprice.

We had actually never been to Caprice before. It was a lovely opportunity to be able to bless this family, spend an evening celebrating our time together as friends in Hong Kong, and wish them the best on this next portion of their journey.

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Majordomo Los Angeles - David Chang's Foray into the West Coast

Feb 17, 2022 ·

You could say I'm a fan of restaurants within the (ever-growing) David Chang Empire.

A little more than a decade ago, Bryan and I first visited his flagship Momofuku Ko in New York City back when they didn't allow photos! It was just a tiny bar back then. Even so, my mind was blown with David Chang's unrestrained creativity. He wowed us with dishes such as his signature shaved foie gras, lychee, and reisling gelee dish. Through the years, I've regularly stopped by Momofuku Milk Bar for their corn cookies and cereal milk soft serve. I have also visited Momofuku Ssam Bar (where I fell in love with the spicy sausage rice cakes). And then there's Ma Peche and their fantastic fried chicken. I finally returned to Momofuku Ko in 2016 (where they now allow photos), and wrote up a proper post!

And then suddenly, in a blink of an eye, it's been 5 years since I last visited a David Chang restaurant.

Frankly speaking, because I've been living in Hong Kong, I didn't even know about Majordomo opening up in LA. It was David Chang's first restaurant in the West Coast. It was ridiculously popular and impossible to book when it first opened.

It's been a couple years, and we're in the middle of a pandemic right now. Still, Majordomo still wasn't easy to book at all. We essentially lucked out (due to a cancellation). We were able to grab dinner for four after first putting ourselves on a waiting list.

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Playa Amor Los Angeles

Feb 13, 2022 ·

Our friends raved about this place when they visited less than a year earlier (during the pandemic!).

"You have to try the mole, it is amazing."

The chicken mole at Playa Amor, a modern Mexican restaurant in Long Beach California, is indeed amazing. You can even get the mole with tater tots, a nostalgic crunchy throwback smothered with their delicious, intense, and smoky mole. It's good either way, though I think the mole pairs best with the chicken.

Enjoy the chicken mole on top of Playa Amor's homemade tortillas together with some salsa, made-to-order guacamole, and other toppings. It makes for a pretty fantastic bite (see below, Exhibit A).

We ate at Playa Amor twice. The first time we ordered take-away and enjoyed it in our hotel room. We thought the food was so good that we invited Bryan's parents to come with us a second time (and actually eat at the restaurant). Both times, the food was great.

They have a pretty big patio that is partially protected with clear plastic "curtains". There is also a pretty sizeable inside area, if you're comfortable eating indoors. All in all, the food was excellent, reasonably priced, and really fun. For us, it was really convenient because Bryan's parents don't live too far from Long Beach.

Other Posts in this Series (Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks)

Traveling During Covid – Our Three Month Trip Around the World
Majordomo Los Angeles – Part of David Chang’s Momofuku Empire
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)
Daybird LA – Best Szechuan Hot Chicken
MÍRAME Beverly Hills – Modern Mexican

Playa Amor Long Beach
6527 Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach, CA 90803, USA

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Feb 11, 2022 ·

Happy Year of the Tiger!

恭喜發財！The Lunar New Year is one of the biggest holidays in China. During normal, non-Covid times, everyone make the long journey back to their hometowns to see their family. This is the time when relatives gather together to enjoy numerous massive meals. Parents bug their single children about getting married, and nudge newly married couples to have children. Here in Hong Kong, the culture of handing out red envelopes, called "laisee", is ubiquitous. Always make sure to carry a couple envelopes in your bag, just in case you run into service people, kids, or others to whom you should give a pocket of blessing.

This year, for the first time, we decided to go all out, embracing the local traditions. We hosted a traditional Chinese New Year dinner. We invited friends who were "family-less", unable to go home for the holidays due to long, burdensome, and restrictive quarantine requirements.

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MÍRAME Beverly Hills - Modern Mexican

Feb 1, 2022 ·

Even though we have been going to Southern California virtually every year to visit Bryan's parents, we typically stay closer to Orange County. As such, we have surprisingly NOT visited Los Angeles city proper much at all.

This time, we spent a fully week right in downtown LA near the Staple Center. Bryan had a conference there, so we had a chance to hang out in LA a bit.

Frankly speaking, I think I've gotten used to Hong Kong's walkable streets and excellent public transportation system. I wasn't as used to LA's driving culture, and having to hop into a car to go anywhere was a bit tough for me. Still, there are some places that are pretty walkable, including parts of Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

We enjoyed a lovely modern Mexican meal at MÍRAME in Beverly Hills one weekend day after spending the afternoon visiting museums in Los Angeles.

My favorite dish was the delicious **Salmon Skin Chicharrons** served with an addictive fermented garlic aoili. The chips were surprisingly light and airy, not a bit greasy. The aoili was ridiculously addictive. I took so much at the beginning that Bryan had barely any aoli in which to dip his last chip. Oops. Thankfully they were willing to give us a bit more aoili, which made me SO HAPPY.

When I saw the Mirame Fermented Green Tea Salad (**$16.00)** on the menu I immediately wanted to get it because it reminded me of the Burmese counterpart version. Mirame's has cabbage, peanuts, and herbs tossed in a tamarind shrimp vinaigrette. Although not really like a Burmese tea leaf salad at all, it was still refreshing, with lots of different textures. I liked it, though I secretly kept thinking how I liked the Burmese version more.

For our main meat dish we went with the server's recommendation, Niman Ranch Pork Tenderloin and Cochinita Pibil (**$46.00).** The pork came with gooseberry and broccolini, served with a cacao vinaigrette. The sauces were interesting, and overall the dish was nice, though to me it wasn't the most interesting.

For dessert we had a lovely cornbread "cake" topped with grilled baby corn and served with ice cream and a tomato jam. It was more sweet than savory, and was certainly a creative and unusual dish.

General Thoughts - MÍRAME Beverly Hills

Mirame is a fun place to enjoy Mexican-inspired, creative dishes in one of the most glamorous cities in LA. It's not authentic Mexican by any means, but the food is tasty, and overall Mirame is a trendy, modern, and pleasant place to catch an enjoyable meal. I especially enjoyed the salmon skin chicharron, which I could dip in that fermented garlic aoili forever. I don't think I would make a special trip to Beverly Hills just to eat there, but I would certainly be happy to go again if I were in the area.

MÍRAME Los Angeles
419 N CAÑON DRIVE
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210

Other Posts in this Series (Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks)

Daybird LA - Best Szechuan Hot Chicken

Jan 25, 2022 ·

DayBird is a tiny little fried chicken joint located off the beaten path in a random, non-descript strip mall (which thankfully has plenty of underground parking). When we went in October, there was no indoor dining whatsover. They literally just had a counter right at their door where you could order fried chicken to go.

Evenly spaced stickers on the sidewalk showed us how to maintain social distance.

Frankly, there's no real good place to sit. We didn't feel like sitting in our car, so we just found a concrete ledge to sit on and enjoy our fried wonders.

Fried wonders indeed. Everything was fantastic.

Daybird uses famous Californian Jidori^®chickens. Jidori^®chickens are quite the rage in California at the moment. These free-range, locally raised chickens are fed "all natural grains, without meat by-products, hormones, or steroids."

Daybird only has a handful of things on its menu: signature Szechuan Hot Chicken Tenders (choose between 5 different levels of spice), the Szechuan Hot Chicken Sando, pickles, and fries. Everything is fried in rice bran oil, and they make everything to order, so be prepared to wait 15-25 minutes if you make a walk-up order.

The chicken was phenomenal, airy and crispy on the outside, super juicy on the inside. The fries blew me away as well. They were lightly battered with some sort of coating, amazingly crispy and super light. Despite the non-ideal dining environment, we loved the food.

Highly recommended!

Daybird LA

240 N Virgil Ave #5
Los Angeles, CA — 90004

Other Posts in this Series (Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks)

Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)

Jan 23, 2022 ·

Taco Maria in Costa Mesa has always been one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in LA.

Chef Carlos Salgado is originally from Mexico but spent over ten years training in some of the best kitchens in the US, including 2-Michelin starred restaurants like Coi in San Francisco and Commis in Oakland. He opened Taco Maria in 2013.

Prior to achieving a Michelin Star, Chef Salgado was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef West consecutively for the past four years, and was named Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015.

Dining During Covid

Notoriously challenging to book, this Michelin-starred restaurant got even harder to book during Covid. They removed all indoor dining and limited seating to parties of four. They also opened up bookings only 1-2 weeks in advance, so Bryan diligently logged onto their website (at midnight in Hong Kong!) to grab seats for us during popular, coveted weekend slots.

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Visiting Family in Los Angeles During Covid

Jan 20, 2022 ·

Returning to the US

The pandemic has upended the lives of virtually everyone on this planet. Like many people, we had not seen most of our family, including our parents and siblings, since Christmas of 2019. Little did we think back then that it would be so, so long until we could see each other again.

Despite the fact that Hong Kong has one of the most stringent quarantine requirements in the world, we finally decided to bite the bullet and plan an extended trip out of Hong Kong. We went into this knowing that when we returned, we'd need to spend 3 weeks at a government-approved quarantine hotel. As we traveled between various countries, we would need to take umpteen Covid tests and comply with a vast array of procedural requirements that varied country by country. We'd need to test ourselves, often, and we'd need to be ultra careful while meeting our parents.

How did we prepare? We ordered dozens of rapid antigen Covid-19 tests, which we used to test ourselves after every flight. Bryan ordered boatloads of my favorite coffee pods and even two TRX training systems to plan for our inevitable quarantine. We brought TONS of KN95 and KF94 masks to last us the entire trip.

Re-Adjusting to American Life

It's funny the first places we visit after returning to the US. After re-adjusting to a lifestyle that included having a car, parking lots, and (ugh) LA traffic, we started visiting the most mundane places. The funny thing is, it had been so long that we were super, super excited to go to places like Costco, Target, and In & Out Burger.

It took awhile to adjust to a different way of mask wearing. Mask mandates vary city by city, but virtually no city requires wearing masks outside (unlike in Hong Kong). At the beginning, we stared in horror as we witnessed whole maskless cities going about their normal life. I distinctly remember being shocked seeing a man rip off his mask the moment he stepped outside the stop. By the end of the trip, we had adjusted and were "doing as the Romans do", taking off our masks the moment we stepped outside (though we always kept them on inside).

Home Cooking Never Tasted So Good

The sweetest part of the Los Angeles trip was of course the time we had to spend with family. We saw Bryan's parents for lunch almost every day. His mom cooked us a bountiful array of amazing delicious and healthy foods, which we shared each day together on their outside patio (thank you California sunshine!).

Bryan’s mom made all of Bryan’s favorite foods (which he hasn’t had in close to 2 years!). Because we couldn’t be home for Thanksgiving, she even hunted around off-season and found a full-sized turkey, making us an early full-fledged Thanksgiving meal. It was amazing, and oh-so-good to be with the extended family once again.

Because it was pandemic times, we only ate outdoors and kept our masks on inside.

Disneyland

Disneyland was one of the highlights of our Los Angeles trip. The weather was beautiful, we went on a weekday (so the lines were short!), and . . . most importantly, we saw the new Star Wars Land! It was really, really cool. The must-do ride is the new Rise of the Resistance. There are limited tickets per day and you must reserve them via the mobile app. They become available two times a day, 7AM and 1PM, and it's a mad finger race to see who can grab them first.

We tried to reserve them at 7AM (we asked our friend to do it), but he totally failed, even though he tried right at 7AM. After entering the park, we tried again around 1PM. This time, we knew how crazy of a race it was, so we ALL downloaded the app and started pressing the button over and over and over again. Bryan "won" our finger race and was able to reserve tickets for all of us.

It is SO WORTH it. It is probably the best Disneyland ride I’ve ever been on. I won't spoil it, but it's a huge production with many different parts to the ride. They only let people ride it once a day. Otherwise, I totally would have gone back and ridden it multiple times. There's so much to see, and it really takes multiple times. Perhaps someday . . .

Hiking in Los Angeles

I love hiking no matter where I go. In Hong Kong it's easy just to walk 5-10 minutes and arrive at a trail. In Los Angeles, we had to drive, but there is a lot of fun hiking both nearby and further away. We spent a day hiking up to the Hollywood Sign. From the top you can see beautiful views of LA and also take some silly photos with the sign itself.

My favorite hike for pretty views, though, were the beautiful waterways at Bolsa Chica Wetlands Wildlife Reserve. We chose this place because it was not too far from Bryan's parents' home in Orange County. It's a pretty easy and flat walk, and the views are stunning. It's a preserve for birds, so you can also see lots of different types of wildlife. Finally, we also met up with a friend at Huntington Beach and Balboa Island, and took and nice long walk along the virtually empty beach.

All in all, we had a really blessed time in Southern California. I'm extremely thankful that we were able to visit Bryan's family during a time before Omicron hit. Even though Delta was present, at least the vaccines seemed to do their job against that variant at the time (phew!).

Next up: all the food we enjoyed while in LA! Below is a sneak preview. 🙂

Other Posts in this Series (~~Some to be published in the next 1-2 weeks~~ all published!)

Traveling During Covid - Our Three Month Trip Around the World
Majordomo Los Angeles - Part of David Chang's Momofuku Empire
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary at Taco Maria (During Covid)
Daybird LA - Best Szechuan Hot Chicken
Playa Amor Los Angeles - Amazing Mole
MÍRAME Beverly Hills - Modern Mexican

Celebrating with the extended family in Southern California.

Traveling during Covid: Our 3-Month Trip Around the World

Dec 20, 2021 ·

Dear Friends,

It has been so long!!!! I am so sorry for the extended silence here. I swear, in the 12 years since I started this blog, I have never had such a long silence before, and for that I sincerely apologize. After almost two years of being “stuck” in Hong Kong, Bryan and I finally flew back home to the US to see our family, friends, and business contacts.

It was a tough decision to stay away for so long, but we live in a very different world now. Hong Kong currently has one of the most stringent quarantine requirements on this planet. We knew that by traveling to the US, we would have to quarantine for 3 weeks upon return. As such, we wanted to make the absolute most out of our time outside.

And thus we embarked upon a whirlwind trip that included multiple cities in the US and in Europe. We visited so many old friends, re-visited our old haunts, and also traveled to some brand new places.

Traveling During Covid

Traveling during Covid is very, very different, but still doable. Different countries have different requirements for Covid tests, vaccinations, and (in the case of HK), quarantine bookings. It’s a maze to figure out, and all the more complicated because the situation changes sometimes daily. We ordered boxes of Covid tests that we kept in our suitcase and carried along with us just so we could self-monitor, and (at least for the US), even use those test results to comply with official requirements.

We wore KN95/KF94 masks on flights, but felt comfortable enough to take them off for short durations while we ate. If our travel time was longer than 12 hours, we would change out for fresh masks. We tried to keep a distance from people at airports, and most certainly kept our masks on at all times except while actively eating or drinking.

The Quarantine Life

I have now finally returned to Hong Kong after 3 long months, and am currently serving out my 3-week quarantine. Not surprisingly, I took thousands of photos during my time away. I am methodically working through them, and hope to share with you all the things I experienced (and learned!) while traveling during this pandemic time.

For now, below is a snapshot of things to come. Happy Christmas, Merry New Year, and have a wonderful holiday!

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Happy 20th Anniversary! A look back . . .

Sep 1, 2021 ·

20 years???

In some ways it's really hard for me to believe that I have been married for 20 years (the years flew by!). Yet in another way, when I look back and think about all the different things we've gone through together -- how we've both grown, changed, and experienced so many different chapters together in so many different ways -- then it does feel like it's been a long time.

I met Bryan when he was 17 and I was 19. We were mere kids, not really knowing anything about our futures, where we would go, what we would become. We got married soon out of college, still figuring out our directions in life.

Marriage is truly a step of faith and also commitment (especially when you're really young and you still don't really know yourself!).

We got married on September 1, 2001. It was ten days before the horrific attacks on 9/11 that changed America and our lives forever. We were on our honeymoon in Italy at the time, and started out our marriage stuck in Brussels for days before finally catching a flight to Montreal and driving down the Boston.

I thought it would be fun to reflect upon how we have celebrated our anniversary over the past 20 years. Of course, our 20 years of marriage is defined by so much more than just food or annual celebrations. However, it has played an important part of how we enjoy time together as a couple, and (of course), it is the focus of this blog. 🙂 Enjoy!

2002

2002 was a different time, define by a post 9/11 world and yet pre-digital and pre-social media. Although we received our first digital camera as a wedding present, I woefully have very few photos from that era, and I can't remember for the life of me how we celebrated! All I remember is that I gave Bryan a coffee grinder and Illy espresso cups for our first Valentine's Day, which we use to this day.

2003 - 2007: Staying Put in Boston

I changed careers in 2003 and started attending law school at night and working full time during the day. Needless to say, we started out our marriage being quite busy! Although my weeknights were filled with classes and weekends full of study, we still played in our church band together, ran a Bible study group at our home, and enjoyed local trips around New England.

2003: *Outlet shopping in Freeport Maine*

2004: *Hiking, lobsters, and blueberry pie at Acadia National Park in Maine*

2005: Attending a friend's wedding and celebrating in Boston's North End at Prezza for dinner

2006: I love biking, and one of my favorite activities is to bike the minuteman trail (from Cambridge to Lexington) for ice cream at Rancatore's, and then bike back for a nice dinner in Cambridge. This time, we took a day off of work and ended the day with a French meal in Harvard Square.

2007: Tiny Urban Kitchen is Born

When I graduated from law school, I was so ready to explore a plethora of hobbies (after being "cooped up" for 4 years studying law during my freetime). I threw myself into trying new activities, such as sewing handbags, oil painting, running, capoeira, cooking, and starting a food blog.

In the early days, the blog had no photos (!). I really just wanted to keep a journal of the restaurants I ate at, and also my mom's recipes. Because of that, my write-up of our 6th anniversary meal at Craigie Street Bistrot (one of the earliest blog posts at Tiny Urban Kitchen) is shockingly photo-less.

As life would have it, as I became "freer", Bryan started traveling more and more for work. At our first anniversary apart in 2008 (due to one of Bryan's many business trips), Bryan sent me roses at work for the first time.

Tiny Urban Kitchen is Christened

In 2009 I started to blog more seriously. Bryan had bought me a lovely little camera that took really good photos of food. I changed the name of the blog, joined an ad network, and started to write more seriously about both my cooking and my dining out.

That year, we celebrated our anniversary with a lovely meal at Boston's classic No. 9 Park.

2010: 9th: Menton

2010 was a momentous year. I won Project Food Blog: The Next Food Blog Star, and I started blogging a lot more. We celebrated our 9th with a lovely meal at Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant Menton, where we enjoyed New England inspired food elevated to the highest level Boston had ever seen.

2011: Las Vegas

For our 10th anniversary we did something crazy. Our friend, a wedding photographer in Las Vegas, offered to treat us to a photoshoot in the desert! We brought along my wedding dress and took all sorts of fun photos, the below being one of my favorite.

We also enjoyed a mind-blowing meal at 3-Michelin starred The Mansion at Joel Robuchon. Truly an unforgettable meal.

2012: 11th Uni Sashimi Bar!

2012 was a special year because Bryan's parents retired that year. Bryan had so many airline miles from his years of travel that he gifted his parents a choice of two first class tickets anywhere in the world.

They looked on a globe and picked the farthest location they could find: Australia and New Zealand. Oh, and they wanted to go together as a family. In 2012, we took a 3+ week vacation (longest we'd ever taken!) and traveled around that stunning region. I woefully have never given it a proper write-up on the blog, but there are a few food posts I was able to write.

Due to the crazy travel in November that year, we took it easy for our anniversary (and also for Christmas), not traveling at all but just resting and staying put. We celebrated 11 years of marriage with a lovely Japanese-inspired meal at Uni Sashimi Bar, back when it was just a small corner of Clio, pre-Tony Messina. How things have changed!

2013: 12th Sonoma!

I have such, such fond memories of California's wine region. I got to know the region when I used to travel there annually to cover the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competitions. For years we went back annually, savoring the beautiful scenery, amazing food, and in Sonoma and Napa. I have many, many fond memories of those trips, and am so thankful for the numerous opportunities we had to visit that amazing region.

2014: 13th Berkshires!

Boston's own backyard, the Berkshires, is a lovely place to visit in the summertime. For our 13th anniversary, we finally enjoyed a picnic while listening to a concert at Tanglewood, the quintessential New England summer experience!

2015: 14th in the Midwest and Around the World

Our friends asked us months earlier whether we wanted to make a special trip to Chicago just to dine at Alinea, one of the most famous fine-dining restaurants in the US. It had been years since I had visited Chicago, and I fell in love with the city! I guess my Midwestern roots are still strong, and perhaps a part of me felt at home there. The meal at Alinea was also really special, especially because we got to spend this anniversary with some of our best friends.

2015 was also memorable for me because that fall Bryan took me on an "Around the World" trip to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a momentous and crazy trip. We visited wineries in Bordeaux, explored museums in Paris, sampled white truffles in Alba (even went on a truffle hunt!), learned all about the barbaresco and barolo regions, savored Tokyo's food and culture, and also stopped by Hong Kong, Bryan's favorite city in the world. At that time, we never would have ever imagined that we would move there some day.

Finally, I started a new job as head of IP at a biotech start-up in Cambridge, which was super exciting. What a year!

2016: 15th Saison San Francisco

In 2016 I got to enjoy one of my favorite meals (ever) in the US, our anniversary dinner at Saison in San Francisco. I loved how the chef incorporated so many Japanese concepts and ingredients into the tasting menu.

2017: 16th Bergamot Boston

2017 was an unique year. It was the year I moved to Hong Kong. At that time, Bryan had already moved to Hong Kong first and had returned to Boston right before our anniversary to wrap up our move. For our anniversary, we visited our favorite hangout spot Bergamot and enjoyed a boisterous meal at the bar with close friends.

2018: 17th Bergamot Boston

After moving to Hong Kong, we started to value and cherish our times at Bergamot more and more. We returned again in 2018 for yet another anniversary celebration at the same bar. Little did we know that would be our last time . . .

2019: 18th Anniversary in Amber

We couldn't make it to Boston for our 18th anniversary. Instead, we decided to book Amber in Hong Kong in the midst of an intense time of social unrest in Hong Kong. It was a crazy story of how Bryan barely made it out of the airport (which was overrun with protestors) right before the police locked down the airport. Many people were stuck in traffic for hours. I was so thankful Bryan was able to make it back in time for us to celebrate together. I am even more thankful he had the foresight to book a night at the Landmark Mandarin so we wouldn't have to worry about how to get home afterwards.

2020: COVID-19

It goes without saying that 2020 has been the most upended, unpredictable, and crazy year to date. 2020 meant we had been "locked in" working from home for close to two months. In late August, Hong Kong finally started to open up a bit. We ventured out, cautious, celebrating our first "socially distanced" dinner out at Xin Rong Ji.

2021: Our 20th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary!!! Here we are at our 20th. We are so, so thankful that the Covid situation in Hong Kong is quite good, with no local cases in months. We've been enjoying an extended week of celebrations, visiting some favorites such as Sushi Shikon, Ando, Mott32, and Din Tai Fung, just to name a few.

Sometimes it's shocking to me how little we knew ourselves and each other when we took the plunge and decided to tie the knot at such a young age. However, I truly believe it's because of God's amazing grace that we have been able to grow so much as as couple these past 20 years.

The 20th anniversary gift according to tradition is China, while the modern version is Platinum. It's fitting, considering we currently live in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, and Platinum is the material we chose for our wedding bands and my engagement ring so many years ago.

I feel very, very thankful and blessed beyond measure.

Happy Anniversary!

The Queen Restaurant 后園 FWD HOUSE 1881

Jul 25, 2021 ·

Despite living in Boston for over twenty years, I only heard the Boston Symphony Orchestra a handful of times. As a student at MIT I could have gone for free, and yet I hardly took advantage of the opportunity (probably because school-related things always felt more urgent).

Ironically, it took a pandemic (and a violinist friend) who got me back into the concert hall. The past 6 months, Bryan and I have already gone to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra THREE times (!).

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra plays in Tsim Sha Tsui in a concert hall right along the harbourfront. They have one of the best views in Hong Kong.

About a month ago, we decided to gift a friend tickets to the HKPhil orchestra together with a pre-show dinner for her birthday. This friend really loves Chinese food, so Bryan started hunting around for excellent Chinese restaurants around the concert hall. I was thrilled to discover The Queen, a new upscale Chinese restaurant that opened during the pandemic in 2020.

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Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘

Jul 14, 2021 ·

It's an odd time here in Hong Kong. On the surface, life seems normal. Sure, everyone is sporting a mask and we can't dine in groups of greater than four. However, malls are crowded over the weekend, the streets are bustling full of people, and restaurants are even hard to book! Life feels normal, in one sense.

In another sense, it's really different. There's any underlying sense of uncertainty about the future. The world as we know it has changed, and it's hard to know what the future holds. Recently, some of our friends, colleagues, and acquaintances have started to leave Hong Kong. The reasons vary, but I'm sure the past two challenging years did not help.

It's always tough to say good-by to dear friends we've made in our (relatively short) time living here. One very small silver lining was the discovery of Liu Yuan Pavilion 留園雅敘, a fantastic Shanghainese restaurant recommended by some good friends who were moving away from Hong Kong.

It seems like I was the only one in the world left in the dark about this place. The rest of the world clearly knew about it. Liu Yuan Pavilion has one Michelin Star, and it appears on many English language travel guides.

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Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong

Jun 28, 2021 ·

Ah, the famous Peak. It's one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Hong Kong, and deservedly so, in my opinion. The views from the Peak are stunning, and the tram ride up is really fun. Pre-Covid, lines for riding the Peak tram on weekends could easily take 1-2 hours. Now, the Peak Tram is undergoing a huge upgrade (It closed starting TODAY!) for a 6-month renovation project)。 When it re-opens it will be able to handle a lot more people.

The Peak includes restaurants, shopping, and a special viewing area. The mall that's up there is admittedly a bit touristy, and in the past, food was a bit wanting up at the Peak.

More recently, some new shops and restaurants have appeared, including a mini satellite of Japan's famous Don Don Donki and Fiamma, a new Italian restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini. This is Chef Bartolini's second restaurant in Hong Kong, with SPIGA in Central as his first endeavor here.

VIctoria Peak Hong Kong — Frankly, we hadn't been to the Peak since the "Before Times", but in the past we have always enjoyed going This time was no different. We arrived at the Peak right around sunset, and we were able to enjoy stunning views of Hong Kong island's south side before heading into the restaurant for our dinner.

Although you can't sit at Fiamma and enjoy the Peak's stunning views, it's still very conveniently located right on the 1st floor opposite of the Peak Galleria Mall. The restaurants has a decent sized and very pleasant outdoor patio, which is great for those who are still feeling a bit nervous about eating indoors.

Starters

Fassona Beef tartare at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — We started with one of their signature dishes, a beautifully presented and tasty Fassona Beef tartare topped with shaved black truffle, a creamy buffalo mozzarella sauce, quail egg yolk and focaccia crumble. The server mixed everything together for us table-side (after I snapped the photo, of course!).

Isalata Fiamma at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — The Isalata Fiamma (vegetarian) was simple, solid, and fine, though not particularly memorable. This version included mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, grand Padano cheese, red radish, olives, focaccia croutons, and balsamic vinegar.

Pasta

Fusilli with bread crumbs, egg, and black truffles at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — The pasta, fusilli with bread crumbs, egg, and black truffles, was executed properly (nice, al dente pasta), though the overall flavors didn't stand out to me in any particular way. There are plenty of excellent Italian pasta dishes served all over Hong Kong. This one was solid, but doesn't rank close to my favorite pastas in this city.

Main Course

Merluzzo Nero Alla Livornese at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — For our main course we decided to try their Merluzzo Nero Alla Livornese, a baked black cod served in a cherry tomato, taggiasca olives, potatoes and capers stew. Similar to the other dishes, it was fine, but just didn't blow me away. If it wasn't at The Peak, it would have a much harder time competing with the plethora of excellent Italian restaurants on Hong Kong Island.

Dessert

General Thoughts - Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini

If you're at the Peak, Fiamma is a pleasant place to enjoy a solid Italian meal. The dishes aren't particularly exciting from a culinary perspective, but the food is solidly executed and the overall experience is pleasant. The service was warm and friendly, and the overall ambiance of the outdoor patio was really quite pleasant.

Now that the Peak Tram is closed, we'll have to find other ways to getting up there. There are buses, minibuses, and taxis that regularly go up to the Peak. You can even hike it (I've done it several times - it's fun as long as it's not too hot out!).

You do want to be mindful of watching bus schedules. We were having such a good time at dinner that we didn't notice we stayed past the last Peak Tram. After 10:30PM there are a lot fewer taxis up there, and buses are fewer and far between. We had trouble booking an Uber, so we finally found a bus that at least went down the Peak, even though it didn't go to our neighborhood!

Next time, we'll watch the bus or minibus schedule a bit more carefully, or maybe not stay as late!

Zoku Wan Chai Hong Kong

Jun 15, 2021 ·

It's hard to imagine trying to open a new restaurant, let alone a new hotel in the midst of a pandemic. However, we've certainly seen both happening all throughout Hong Kong. Right in our backyard here in Wan Chai, a small boutique swanky hotel called the Hari Hotel just opened. Inside there are two restaurants, an Italian restaurant called Lucciola and a Japanese restaurant called Zoku.

Bryan knows I love Japanese food (way more than he does, to be honest). So when he found out about Zoku, he tried to make a reservation. It turns out that reservations were a bit difficult to secure! I guess Hong Kong people still LOVE trying out new restaurants and despite the cloud of the pandemic still hanging over us.

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Weekend Exploring Hunan Province and its Spicy Cuisine in Changsha China

Jun 2, 2021 ·

I am continuing to catch up on backlog travel posts from 2019 that I never finished. The below post describes a weekend trip we took to the city of Changsha in Hunan Province, less than a 4 hour train ride from Hong Kong!

Welcome to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province and home to the place where Chairman Mao spent his student years and adopted communism. Changsha is about a 3-4 hour high speed rail train ride away from Hong Kong, so it's accessible for a long weekend trip, which is what we did.

Yuelu Mountain

Hike at Yuelu Mountain on the west bank of Xiangjiang River. There are many really old trees from prior dynasties.

Orange Island

Orange Island is famous for its orange trees and the largest president statue in China (yes, it's Mao again, he's all over the city).

It's a long walk along the water, maybe 30 minutes, to get to the statue.

Street Food Galore

The food! There's endless amounts of street food. The signature dish of the region is the spicy crayfish. Hunan food is spicy! Beware . . . Pictured above: black stinky tofu 臭豆腐, a large "hot dog" like stick, spicy crayfish, panfried soup dumplings 生煎包， and an interesting panfried egg crepe filled with sticky rice that I actually just saw but didn't try!

China has many drink fads, such as Hey Tea 喜茶 from Guangzhou (famous for its whipped "cheese" topped tea). In Changsha, the most popular tea shop is 茶颜悦色 "Cha Yan Yue Se“, which has locations all over the city.

Being Adventurous - Trying Spicy Snake

I tried another slightly exotic local specialty, snake in spicy sauce! It was . . . . interesting. Kind of like eel, with lots of bones. The skin is actually the most interesting part. It has a chewy texture, sort of like the carp skins you can get in Hong Kong. Frankly speaking, that was probably the best part. The meat is only so-so, and there's just way too many bones.

Changsha has a lot of fun streets with loads of character that you can just explore.

Spicy Hunan Dinner!

We enjoyed a delicious (but very spicy) dinner at a sit-down restaurant our final evening. We enjoyed some Hunan specialties pictured above. Crayfish are one of the local specialties. Although often they are boiled, we enjoyed a fun fried version, which was fantastic. I would highly recommend ordering one or two non-spicy foods for balance. In our case, it was the fried tofu that offered relief!

All in all, our trip to Changsha was short but still quite fun. It's conveniently accessible by high speed rail from Hong Kong, less than a 4 hour trip, which wasn't too bad for a long weekend outing. Alas, that was in the carefree days when travel was easy and there was no pandemic.

The border has been effectively closed to us for over a year now. Hopefully things will open up soon and we'll have a chance to go back and explore many more cities in China.

Ruam Thai Wan Chai Hong Kong

May 20, 2021 ·

Life in Hong Kong has felt relatively normal these past few months. Many people are returning to the office, restaurants and bars are open, and the subway seems to be getting back to pre-pandemic crowded levels. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 case count in Hong Kong is enviably low (we're down to the single digits, with many days being 0 local cases), I am still a bit skittish about eating indoors.

My dear husband has been kind and sensitive to my worries, seeking out restaurants with outdoor patios and good food. A few weeks ago, we finally had the chance to enjoy a lovely dinner at Ruam Thai in Wan Chai, a Thai restaurant tucked away on the mezzanine level overlooking Ship Street in Wan Chai.

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Aaharn Hong Kong

May 6, 2021 ·

My husband can eat really, really spicy. Like so spicy that his body can't actually tolerate it that well (he sweats up a storm), yet his mouth is happy and continues to want more.

Yet the only time he has ever been "defeated" by level of spice was in Thailand at Nahm, Michelin starred Thai restaurant in Bangkok by Australian celebrity chef David Thompson.

In 2018 David Thompson announced he was leaving Nahm to explore other projects. Chef Pim Techamuanvivit (food-blogger turned Michelin-starred chef who was incidentally also happened to be a judge for the Project Food Blog competition I won a decade ago) took over that restaurant as executive chef.

Half a year later, David Thompson popped up in Hong Kong with the opening of Aaharn in Tai Kwun.

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Places to Have a Beer in Brussels

Mar 18, 2021 ·

And that is a wrap for our Belgium Series! I can't believe it took a whole year to write. Though it's not like I traveled anywhere else after going to Belgium, so perhaps it was for the better that I spread it out over the course of a year.

I leave you with my final Belgium post (for now): a summary of cool beer places we visited in Brussels and also a few that we hope to visit if we ever go back!

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Pasta Divina Brussels

Mar 18, 2021 ·

Ahhh, pasta. Pasta is probably one of Bryan's favorite foods in the world, no matter where in the world he is. Not surprisingly, we discovered the much loved Pasta Divina when we were in Brussels. It soon became one of our favorite places in Brussels.

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La Paix Brussels - Two Michelin Stars

Mar 17, 2021 ·

"Worth a detour" is the definition of a two-Michelin starred restaurant. Though not a normal "detour", I did the unusual and visited this restaurant solo (despite my typical aversion to dining alone at a restaurant). It was early in our time in Brussels, back when I thought I only had 3 weeks. Unfortunately, the only available night at La Paix Brussels was on a night when Bryan wasn't free. The concierge also cautioned to me that it could be a little unsafe at night.

Despite these minor obstacles, I still made the decision to go. In retrospect, it was well "worth the detour" to experience La Paix and all that it has to offer.

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Les Petits Oignons Brussels

Mar 16, 2021 ·

Let Petits Oignons means "the little onions" in French. This elegant yet cozy Belgian brasserie leans French/Mediterranean in style. It has a nice selection of seafood offerings (raw oysters, octopus, and fish!) and traditional Belgian classics (waterzooi, shrimp croquettes, and gray shrimp). Chef-owner Khaled Zoughlami emphasizes "first in class, top-fresh products", changes his menu seasonally, and offers daily changing specials which are influenced by fresh produce at the market.

Michelin has recognized Let Petits Oignons Brussels for its excellent value, giving it Bib Gourmande status.

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In't Spinnekopke Brussels

Mar 15, 2021 ·

In't Spinnekopke was one of those places that I didn't try for a very long time because it was just too damn popular. By the time Bryan got back from the office on a normal weeknight, it was late enough that we probably couldn't get into the restaurant without a long wait.

In't Spinnekopke has the perfect combination of excellent, authentic Belgian fare at good prices (it's a Michelin Bib Gourmand), excellent location in the charming and bustling Place Sainte-Catherine, and tons of character. The inside is filled with nostalgic posters and paintings. The 18th century former inn has a cozy and warm feel, with traditional wood paneling and old school furniture.

Furthermore, the restaurant has an excellent beer selection and offers an great selection of classic, traditional Belgian fare. Try one of the many different variety of moules frites (that's what we did!). Or if you'd rather have meat, get a steak with one of their many different sauces.

White and black sausage!

A lovely salad full of high quality, fresh ingredients!

All in all, I'm so glad I finally got to try this place closer to the end of our time in Brussels. I always love walking around Place de Sainte-Catherine, so it's a bonus to be able to explore that area after having a simple, classic Belgian meal.

In't Spinnekopke Brussels
Bloemenhofplein 1
1000 Brussel
België

Winehouse Osteria Brussels

Mar 14, 2021 ·

Winehouse Osteria Brussels is a quaint and charming little Italian restaurant located just off the beaten path in the old city. Though not far from the Grand Place, it's easy to miss since it's tucked away off the main road.

Inside this cozy space, we settled into one of only five tables to enjoy excellent Italian fare with a bottle of one of their carefully curated wines. In fact, the Winehouse began as a wine shop and grew into a restaurant as an outgrowth from the wine bar's successful wine tastings and growing clientele.

It was indeed lots of fun trying many different wines that we had never had before. We enjoyed chatting with Andy, the friendly part-sommelier, part-server, and part-front of the house who took care of us that night.

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Belga Queen Brussels Belgium

Mar 13, 2021 ·

If you want to enjoy a high-powered meal consisting of well-executed, authentic Belgian cuisine in a stunning setting, Belga Queen Brussels is a great option. This elegant, Belgian seafood restaurant is located inside an old 18th century bank vault. There's an oyster bar, beer bar, cigar bar, and a nice selection of Belgian food.

The wines come from Belgian producers and even the coffee is roasted locally. They pride themselves in being ambassadors of all things "made in Belgium".

It is definitely pricier than many of the more traditional Belgian brasseries, though there's good reason why. It was not too difficult to land a reservation at the last minute (though the restaurant still seemed quite full when we went).

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Nona Authentic Neapolitan Pizza in Brussels

Mar 12, 2021 ·

Nona Neapolitan Pizza Brussels — Italy's Tippy Toe - Nduja spicy Calabrian sausage, tomato, fior di latte mozzarella

By the end of our 7-week stay in Belgium, we were starting to live more like normal people, wanting to eat a variety of food. This was in stark contrast to our first few weeks there, where it felt like every meal we were seeking out moules frites, Belgian waffles, traditional Belgium "pubs", and Belgian chocolate.

Brussels, being the capital of the European Union, is actually quite international and offers quality food from around the world. We were quite impressed with the authentic Neapolitan style pizza from Nona.

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La Maree Brussels

Mar 11, 2021 ·

For close to a decade now we have refrained from going out to eat on Valentine's Day. On that day restaurants are always fully booked, the pressure is immense, and we generally don't enjoy it as much.

In the strange year of 2020, we were stuck in Brussels and therefore had no way of enjoying what has become our tradition meal on Valentine's Day now, home cooked Milanese osso buco.

It was quite difficult to book a really nice restaurant in Brussels on such short notice. However, we were still able to enjoy a classic Belgian seafood meal at La Maree, an institution that has been in Brussels for 40 years (!) and known for its fresh, quality seafood.

La Maree has been recognized by numerous outlets, including the Michelin Guide with a Michelin Plate.

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Café Georgette Brussels

Mar 10, 2021 ·

You can't come to Belgium without trying the beer, chocolate, waffles, and fries! Authentic Belgian fries are fried in beef fat and often come with different dipping sauces. An authentic experience is to get them from a street stall where they come hot and crispy in a paper cone.

One famous friteries situated conveniently in the old city centre (near the Grand Place) is Café Georgette. Café Georgette's fries are "twice fried in beef fat the traditional way". Costing only 6,50€ for a 350g "cone", they are light, crispy, and delicious.

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Aux Armes de Bruxelles - classic Belgian food in Brussels

Mar 9, 2021 ·

You feel like you are going back in history when you dine at a classic Belgian restaurant like Aux Armes de Bruxelles. Not only is the food very traditional Belgian and done well, the whole place feels like old Europe. I love it. In fact, King Leopold III ate here regularly and especially enjoyed the sole meunière and the mussels.

Any person visiting Belgium for the first time should visit at least one of these traditional restaurants. Aux Armes de Bruxelles is a great choice because it offers many traditional classics, such as "tomato crevette" (tomatoes with brown shrimp), Flemish stew, moules frites (mussels and fries), and of course, a great selection of Belgian beers. The restaurant is also located in the old part of the town, near the Grand Place, so it's fun to walk around that area.

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Pre de chez Nous Brussels

Mar 4, 2021 ·

One typically associates Belgian food with heavy meats, beer, chocolate, and waffles. However, there is quite a farm-to-table movement and there are many restaurants serving lighter and ingredients-focused fare. Pre de chez Nous is known for its focus on local and sustainable food, providing excellent quality at a great value.

It's no surprise that I put it on my list of places to try early during our unexpected 2 month stay in Brussels.

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